The Chaose Tournament
by KnuxfanEO
Summary: Six months after losing one of it's greatest heroes, Mobius is once again in danger. A tournament is being held that will decide the fate of the planet. Will the Chaotix, Freedom Fighters, and Ravagers be enough?
1. Default Chapter

**Author's Note: **This story is going to be my best yet, and I have big hopes for it. Not only will it have awesome fights, but it will introduce my newest fan character. Don't worry, he's perfectly sane, unlike the last group of fan characters I spawned onto thsi site. Anyway, here comes...

THE TOURNAMENT

"You asked for us, Locke?" Mighty said as her led the Chaotix into the Haven conference room. "Yes. We have a problem. A big problem." They could tell by his voice that it was serious. They sat down at the rectangular table as he continued. "You've seen the weather lately. Blackened sky, cold winds. It's all a sign." "A sign of what?" Espio asked. "Something that could bring about great destruction. I would give you more details now, but we must hurry to the Kingdom of Acorn. If you had any plans, forget them. This is far more important." Shadow was rather curious to the whole situation. What was Locke going on about? He would just have to wait and find out. They all hurried out of the room after Locke towards the hanger bay.

"What's going on, Dad? Representatives from every nation have been arriving since this morning," Sally said to the King. He did not answer, and continued to stare out the window. "Sally…something is about to happen…that has not happened in thousands of years. I cannot say now. I will when all of the representatives arrive. Please dismiss yourself." Sally was startled. Something had her father spooked, and he wouldn't tell her about it. She slowly walked backwards and slowly closed the door.

"He wouldn't say anything. He just said that something big was gonna happen," Sally told the rest of the Freedom Fighters. "That's what we've been hearing, too. Everything's all hush-hush," Sonic replied. He looked out the window and shook his head. Like Sally had said, representatives from every nation had been arriving since the morning. From Cat Country, Downunda, and other nations of Mobius. Whatever was happening, it required a joint effort of the whole planet. A new vessel caught his eye, he turned back to the others, and said, I think things are worse than we've been thinking."

"We don't know anything either. It's crazy. What are all these guys doing here?" Rouge asked no one in particular. "Who knows," Vector replied. "Why don't we ask one of them?" Mighty suggested as he walked over to one of the representatives. It was a large, muscular tiger. He tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me," before being tossed to the ground. "Hand's off!" the large cat said. The others helped Mighty up, and got ready for a fight. "What's your problem? He didn't do anything!" Sonic yelled. "He has no right to touch me!" Mighty went to step forward, but he stopped when a spear landed before him. A second cat stood beside the other. This one was much more slender, with spots all over his yellow fur. "We are the Claw brothers, Cat Country's greatest warriors. I am Razor Blade, and I see you've met my brother Switch Blade," the slender cat said. "Yeah. We've met," Mighty grumbled. "It would be best for you not to waste your energy. First, you would stand no chance against us, and second, you will need it later." "For what? What the hell is going on?" Julie-Su asked. "A battle for the planet itself."

"HO! AMY! Friends Sonic and Tails!" a familiar voice called out. They turned to see a familiar turquoise hedgehog rushing towards them. He was wearing a leather outfit with a hood, similar gloves and boots, and had a bow and quiver of arrows over his shoulder. "ROB!" Sonic and Tails yelled out as they ran to greet their old ally. Rob O' The Hedge was a representative from the village of Snottingham, a far off town. He was Amy's cousin, and only known relative. "This gathering alerts me to the fact that something of grave importance is at hand," Rob said. "Yeah. Here! Meet some of our friends," Tails said as they took Rob to meet the others. They warned, however, for Rob not to mention Antoine's father, who had been roboticized and was Rob's arch-nemesis for some time. They were all glad to meet the bright hedgehog, who was quite cheerful. He looked around, as if he were searching. "What's up, Rob?" Sonic asked. "I was sure friend Knuckles would come hither. Doth thou know where he is?" Their smiles faded and their heads drooped. Rob was in for some bad news.

"My heart saddens with this news. He was a great warrior," Rob said solemnly. They all nodded in agreement, not saying a word. Rob turned to notice Julie-Su walking away. "Yonder damsel seems much distressed. Was she fond of him?" "Yeah. Quite fond," Rouge said. Suddenly, a new vessel flew in, and landed near them. They watched as the door opened, and a screen of smoke poured out. A black mass walked out and stopped before them, as they got ready for the worst. "Wassup, hog?" a voice called out. There were several groans from the smoke cloud as another voice said, "MORON! We build up all that suspense, and you have to go and flush it right down the freakin' toilet!" The smoke cleared, and they saw Grim yelling at DJ. "How's it goin' guys?" Cap said with a smile as he extended his hand. "Not bad," Mighty said as he shook Cap's hand.

Not long after, King Acorn called forth all of the representatives to the front of the castle. He stood on a balcony before the group and began to speak. "Brave souls of Mobius, this is perhaps our darkest hour. I had hoped that this wouldn't have fallen on us, but it has. Every five thousand years, a tournament is held. It is known as…the Chaose (Kay-ose) Tournament. Chaose is much like the creature Chaos that surface not too long ago. However, Chaose's power goes far beyond that of the seven super emeralds. He is imprisoned in another dimension, but every five thousand years, a gate is made between his world and ours. However, he cannot pass through to our world. He must defeat Mobius' greatest warrior in combat in order to do so. He must win three consecutive tournaments to open the gate for himself and pass through to Mobius. According to recorded history, he has won two." There was a great silence. This was very deep. "Kinda reminds you of those hours we wasted on Mortal Kombat back in the day, huh Swiper?" DJ whispered. "You are the best in the world. You have been chosen to enter this tournament and defeat Chaose. If you do, the world will be saved. If not…Mobius will face certain doom. Chaose's power is like nothing on this planet. The odds are against you, but I have faith that you will overcome this evil. If you wish to remain here and not participate, it is understood. You are not held to anything," the King said. He motioned his hand towards the front of the balcony, where those who wished to participate would enter their names. Those that were cowardly backed off, but those who were brave, or just arrogant, went to enter.

"Well…here we go," Sonic said as he told his name to the beaver behind the reception desk. One by one, our heroes gave their names. The girls, knowing they would never stand a chance against Chaose, signed up with the intention of being there for moral support. Suddenly, there was a rumbling in the clouds. Everyone looked up, wondering if it was time already. "I'm sensing a strange energy," Shadow said. "Me too," F.C. replied. There was some flashing in the clouds as they gathered strongly in one specific are of the sky, although the sky was still covered. "EVERYONE GET DOWN!!!" Shadow yelled as a huge lightning bolt came crashing down not far from them, leaving a crater. Amy glanced down into the crater and saw something in it, knelt down on one knee amidst all the smoke. The figure stood and began to walk up the crater, until it had placed its feet on the firm ground. Many gasped at the sight of it. It appeared to be an echidna, wearing a black cloak that covered everything from the neck down. Its face, however, was concealed by a black mask with menacing blood-red eyes. No pupils at all, just eyes. It had four red dreadlocks, two on each side, with a black band on each. Where its dreadlocks would have been in the back, was a large ponytail that went down to the lower back. It made its way to the balcony, the crowd moving away in fright. Was this Chaose? Had he been freed?

It walked in front of Switch Blade and stopped before the beaver at the reception desk. In a cold, deep voice, it said, "Dernath teth chamhen Enigma." The beaver, shaking with fright, said, "Ummm…sir…I don't understand your-" "I am Enigma the Echidna." Switch Blade, insulted that someone took his place in line, said, "I don't care who you are! Get back in line!" He was even more insulted when Enigma ignored his existence completely. "HEY!" Switch said as he grabbed Enigma's shoulder. 'BAM!' In a split-second, Enigma had brought his fist up over his shoulder and hit Switch in the jaw, sending him flying backwards. No one even saw his hand move. It was up and back at his side in a flash. "Don't touch me," Enigma said as he dusted his shoulder. Razor ran to his brother, and growled at the mysterious echidna. "You broke his jaw! Now he cannot compete!" "Good for him. Now he won't waste my time any more than he has already." Razor went to attack, until the King yelled "CEASE!" King Acorn looked at the echidna and asked, "Enigma the Echidna? Who do you represent?" "I represent the Ancient Walkers themselves. The rest of you should savor your lives and forget about this. I will handle things from here." His voice was so cold…so empty…it was a frightening as he was.

"Well, I intend to compete," Sonic said. Enigma looked over at him and chuckled. "The great Sonic the Hedgehog. I've heard much about you. You truly are as ignorant as I have heard if you are going to compete." Sonic, angered and insulted, growled in rage as he charged at Enigma. He wasn't sure how it happened, but Enigma sidestepped him and struck the back of his head, sending him flying to the ground face-first. Sonic slowly got up, groaning, and looked up to see Enigma standing before him. Sonic froze as he stared at the mask's blood-red eyes. "So, I guess stories are just stories," Enigma said as he walked away. Sonic couldn't move. He wanted to attack Enigma for insulting him, but couldn't do so. He just watched with the others as Enigma walked away.

There was a grand banquet that night in the Grand Hall. They participants would be leaving tomorrow, so it was sort of a good-bye meal. Locke sat with the Freedom Fighters, the Chaotix, and the Ravagers at a large circular table. "Who is that guy?" Ray asked. "I don't know, but he will be the most trouble for you," Locke said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "What do you mean?" Morph asked. "Just look at him. He's not like any normal echidna. Echidnas are all roughly the same size when full grown. Julie-Su is not much shorter than I, at 5'9". This Enigma, however, is much taller than any echidna I've ever seen. I am at the normal height of echidnas, 5'10". He's at least 6'2", which is highly unusual." "So? He's just tall," Freezie said as he began carving his turkey, "Besides, Grim gets taller when he gets into costume." "That's because I have half-demon blood, giving me demon powers and abilities," Grim stated. "There is also the fact that this Enigma has no aura," F.C. said. "Isn't that impossible? Your aura tells what your emotions and thoughts," Rotor said. "He has found some way to conceal his. His power, too, is concealed. It's like he has all this power, but I cannot find it."

As they were talking, Rouge looked out the window and saw Enigma outside with his back to the castle. He just stood there with his arms crossed, looking out at the black horizon. A breeze blew by that made her shiver, but he did not move. It then began to rain, but still he did not move. What was strange was, the water droplets evaporated before touching him. He stood there with a thin mist around him, his energy keeping him perfectly dry I the downpour.

The next day, everyone was in a depressed mood. It was time to leave for the tournament. King Acorn tried to convince Sally not to go, but she had to go with them. He was forced to accept it. They all got prepared to leave, and King Acorn arose to his balcony to give one last speech. "You truly are the world's finest. Our best wishes, our minds, our hearts are with you brave souls. May the Walkers watch over you." "That is why they have sent me," Enigma said, coming around the side of the castle. "You're such an loser! The Walkers just chose you as a representative! No big deal at all," Sonic said. "No big deal?!?!" Enigma yelled, rather annoyed. He walked right up to Sonic and stared him in the face. "If it is no big deal, then why have I spent three years in intense training for this tournament?!?! I have been through things that would leave you crying like a little child for the rest of your life!!! No big deal," Enigma growled as Sonic slowly backed away, "I have worked too hard fore this, and I will not let anyone get in my way! Chaose is mine, and anyone foolish enough to interfere with me will pay with their life!!!"

Suddenly, the clouds began to rumble. It was time. Final good-byes were said as the participants stood out in front of the castle. "Uhhh…is something supposed to happen?" Freezie asked as they stood there. Suddenly, their bodies started elongating and stretching. "I don't like! I don't like! Vector yelled. "WOW! We're tall!" DJ exclaimed. Before they disappeared, Sonic managed to let out, "OH SH-"


	2. Here's How It Works

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS…

"-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!" Sonic shouted, finishing his sentence. It was the strangest thing ever. They were flying through space at supersonic speed. "YEE-HA!" Freezie yelled in excitement. "GET ME OFF THIS THING!!!" Mighty yelled. "Question: How are we breathing in space?" DJ asked. There was a pause, and everyone began gasping for air. "You- 'gasp' moron! 'Gasp' We wouldn't have 'choke' noticed if you 'erk' had kept quiet!" Grim managed to say. Sonic, while gasping for air looked over at Enigma and noticed he was in some kind of suspended state, thus not needing to breath. Then there was a flash, and when they opened their eyes, they were on firm ground, wobbling and unable to walk. Enigma began to walk away from them, and said, "Showing weakness before we even begin. 'Hmph!' Pitiful." They looked at their surroundings and were shocked. The sky was orange, with three bright suns. The ground was black dirt, and not far from them was a huge arch with strange writing on it. Beyond the arch was a wide, gray structure.

"Wadaya think that writing says?" Ray asked. "It reads, 'If you cannot read this arch, you shall die after passing through it'," Enigma said as he walked under it. They paused there for a moment, trying to process the statement in their heads. "Uhhh…who wants to go first?" Morph asked. "He's just trying to scare us!" Vector stated. "What if he isn't though?" Another pause. "Grab DJ and throw him through. He's expendable," Grim suggested as he grabbed DJ. "What? HEY!" DJ yelled as Grim threw him through. He stood there for a moment, then began to seem sick. "G-Guys…I…I feel weird…I-I think I'm gonna blow up! AHHHH!" DJ yelled as he grabbed his head. They all cringed as he screamed, until he began laughing. "HA! You all suck so much! I got you suckers good!" They growled in frustration as Grim gave chase. "What was that BS about dying, Enigma? You tryin' to scare us off?" Bunnie asked. "I told you what it said. Therefore you could read it. If you are going to die, it will be in the ring," Enigma said as he walked toward the gray structure. "He needs a nickname. How about Cuddles?" Freezie suggested.

They walked toward the structure, but stopped in front of a tiny black creature. It was small and round, with blue eyes and a friendly grin. "Aww…it's so cute," Amy said as she went to pet it. Sally grabbed her and pulled her back, scolding Amy. "Don't touch that thing! It could have rabies!" "C'mon Sal! It looks harmless!" DJ said as he knelt next to it and began to pet it. "Hey there, widdle guy, coochie-coochie-" 'CHOMP!' It widened its smile to reveal it's sharp teeth and bit DJ's hand. DJ said nothing and held his hand before him with the black creature attached to it. He turned to the other competitors from Mobius and said, "If my hand wasn't covered by super-tough armor, I'd be screaming in pain right now." Those who had come from Mobius that didn't know DJ before hand gathered the same opinion of him as the others had…he was an idiot. Enigma yanked the creature off of DJ's hand and cast it away. "You obviously know nothing about this place. These creatures are the Dark Chao. They are evil creatures that will eat you alive. Now, you may continue to waste your time here and get eaten, but I am going to the tournament. The sooner we start, the sooner I can destroy you fools and kill Chaose."

They entered the structure and stood inside a huge open arena. It was a large white-tiled square, surrounded by black dirt. Beyond that were the stands. Apparently there would be observers. In front of the stands was an elaborate black throne.

They would have taken a little more time to gather their surroundings, but they found themselves surrounded by dark chao. "Is this a good thing?" Tails asked. "I dunno," Rotor replied. One of the chao walked up to Rotor, who cringed at the thought of getting eaten, and said, "Welcome to the world of death and decay, we hope you all enjoy your stay!" There was a pause of silence. "O-Kay…" Sonic said. "Indeed. What is this?" a kangaroo asked. "This is where you all will fight, I'll show you where you sleep tonight!" "Must you speak in rhyme?" Grim asked, becoming irritated. "It is fun to speak in rhyme, and make sure you have a miserable time!" "Well if it makes you feel good, it works," Rouge replied. "Come, come, one and all, we must go to the banquet hall!"

They began to follow the dark chao to the banquet hall, exiting the arena and entering the building next to it. Inside, there was a large room, elaborately decorated with tapestries. There were three long tables that stretched across the long room, at which the new arrivers were seated. Enigma refused to sit, and remained standing with his arms crossed and his head lowered. "Man, this Chaose guy sure is classy," Morph said as he looked around the room, observing the fine silverware before them. "Why thank you," a deep voice said.

Everyone looked up, most in fear, but Enigma looked in anticipation. From behind a door a figure stepped out of the shadows. Sonic was shocked at how much he resembled Chaos. Chaose was much like Chaos, accept he was much more muscular, a dark blue, and much less deformed than Chaos. Chaos' stubby fingers were replaced by defined hands and fingers, and his tall head was well rounded off. It was like a cross between an echidna and Chaos. As for his attire, he wore red sweatpants, black shoes, and a white armored chest plate and jagged shoulder pads, lined with gold. He wore a black helmet that covered all but one large area around his eyes. On the sides and on top were silver, jagged spikes that shot out and upwards, and his mouth was covered by a red mouthpiece. His very appearance was as frightening as Enigma's, if not more. Those who were younger than the others were scared out of their minds, and their shaking showed it.

"As you have probably guesses, I am the mighty Chaose. Welcome, honored guests, to the fighter's banquet! Tonight, you shall dine in my company, and tomorrow, the Chaose Tournament shall begin! But for now, let us feast!" he clapped his hands and several dark chao came out with trays of food which they placed on the tables. No one felt comfortable, accept for Chaose himself. They were dining with a being that wished to destroy their very world. Chaose sat down at an elaborate seat at the head of the middle table. He pulled the top of his tray and revealed a chaos emerald. They watched in astonishment as he inhaled, the glowing green light left the emerald, and it was left black. He _ate_ emerald energy! He then glanced up at Enigma, who had not taken his eyes off of Chaose since he had joined them. "You must be the Walker's fighter. Enigma, I believe. Come and join us. You must be famished after your training," Chaose said. Enigma merely turned around and said, "I won't dine with you. Your very presence sickens me," as he left the room. The other fighters from Mobius watched him leave, then went to eating.

What surprised them the most was that Chaose was acting as if he had no resentment of them at all. He asked them questions about Mobius, Reluctantly, they conversed with him, afraid of what might happen if they didn't. "Ah! It all sounds so pleasant. How I will enjoy destroying it." That sentence silenced them. Shadow could tell by the look in Chaose's eyes that he was smiling. He was instilling the fear he wanted to see. Shadow tried not to seem afraid, but it was difficult. After all, he had watched Chaose consume the power of an emerald like how one sips their drink. No, Shadow wasn't afraid.

Just nervous.

Chaose explained to them how the tournament would work. It would extend over several days. The next day would be the preliminaries, which would expel the weaker fighters. The next day will be the main day of fighting, where most would be disqualified. The next would be the semi-finals, and the fourth day would be the final match. Dinner concluded, and they were escorted out of the dining hall by the same dark chao. It took them to another building, where they would spend the night. "Better get some sleep tonight, Cause tomorrow you have to fight!" it said as it left them. "I'm gonna barbecue that little-" "Calm down, Grim," Sally said. "HOLY COW!" DJ yelled as he opened the door to his room. They all looked inside to see Todd's bedroom. The one in their mansion, on Mobius, in another dimension. "My room! My CD's! My magazines!" DJ said happily as he pulled some magazines out from under his bed. Sally looked at him suspiciously and asked, "What magazines are-" "MINE!" DJ spat, clutching the magazines to his chest, "I mean…guy magazines. Guy magazines that…girls wouldn't be interested in unless they were…curv-ed." The girls all gave him a look of disgust. "Perv," Julie-Su said. "Hey! I get it for the reading material! I mean, listen to this! This one wanted to be an accountant…and look where she is now!" Rouge looked at the other guys, who quickly looked elsewhere. "You boys are not to enter this room, or we'll throttle you!" Sally threatened. "Okay…" Cap said with a nervous smile, trying to seem innocent. "Let's look around. There's gotta be more to this place," Sonic said as he led them down the hall.

Many of the others went to bed, but our heroes explored the large 'hotel' until they reached a balcony. They stepped out onto it and looked up at the stars, and the four moons. "This is crazy," Mighty said. "Yeah, brutha," Vector replied. In front of them was a small patch of trees that, unlike everything else, were alive. A few feet from the trees was a beach, with ivory sand and dark water. On that beach was a shadowy figure sitting with his legs crossed and his back to them. They looked closer to see that it was Enigma, although they couldn't make out any details. From there he looked like a black figure. "What's he up to?" Vipes asked. "Let's wait and see." They watched for a minute or two as he just sat there, and would look over at one of the trees every so often. Finally, he got up and walked over to one of the trees. On the tree were several fruits. Slowly, he moved his hand up to his mask and pulled it off, his back still to them. He reached up and pulled off a fruit and held it for a minute, then took a bite. They observed as he paused, then fell to his knees. At first, they thought the fruit had made him ill. To their surprise, they saw light from the moon reflecting off of a teardrop that had fallen from his eye as they heard him shudder. He crushed what was left of the fruit in his hand and placed his metal mask back on. He then walked back to the same spot on the beach and sat back down in the same position.

"What was all that about?" Amy asked as they went towards their rooms. "I don't know. Maybe we've been looking at him all wrong. Maybe we should talk with him. Get him to work _with_ us," Sally suggested. "OOOO! We could have a tea party!" Grim said with big twinkly eyes and a high-pitched voice, "And we can prance around with fairies, and unicorns, and pretty pony princesses, and sugarplums," he continued, prancing/frolicking around them, "and how about NO!" he said in his regular voice again. He then saw that the girls were staring at him with raised brows and the guys were staring at him with expressions of horror. "Uhhh…sorry." "You said…pretty pony p-p-princesses…" Freezie stuttered in astonishment and shock, "Never again." "Look! What happens in Mordor stays in Mordor," DJ said. They all nodded in agreement and expelled the memory from their minds.

They all decided it would be best to turn in and went into their rooms. Tomorrow was the first day of fighting, and they would need rest. After she showered, Julie-Su laid down in her bed and sighed. She looked up on her dresser and saw her most prized possessions: 'her' hat, and his journal. She picked up the journal and began to read it again. She had already read it several times, but she found that she had to read some of it every night. It was all she had left of him. She couldn't get over the fact that he had cared about her so much. He really saw something in her. Something she hadn't seen in herself. After she read a few entries and poems, she placed it back on her dresser and turned off her lamp. She then closed her eyes, hoping she would see him again in a dream, as she often did.

"Uhhhh…." "Get up! You're wasting precious time!" "Uhhhh- 'cough'" "Now we're coughing up blood, eh? I don't see why the Walkers chose you! You can't even beat an old man like me! How do you intend to defeat Chaose?!?! You are worthless and useless! A waste of life!" "SHUT UP OLD MAN!!!" "Fool." "AHHH!" "'Sigh' That is enough for today. You can barely stand now." "So…I can sleep?" "Sleep? Oh no. Sleep is a luxury you must earn." "What???" "Don't take my beating you into unconsciousness personally." "Are you-ahhh! Agh! UHHHHHhhhhhhhh…." 'Thud!' "You will learn…Enigma."

Another unpleasant slumber. Enigma stood from the position he had taken the night before, sitting upright with his legs and arms crossed as he slept. His days were long and tiresome, and his nights tainted with horrid memories of his training. Soon, however, it would pay off, and perhaps he could return to the life the Walkers had taken him from. The Walkers…He growled in anger as he thought of them. They had taken him from everything he had for this tournament. He hated them with every fiber of his being, and everything that he was. He stood up and headed towards the arena, the wind blowing his dreadlocks and his ponytail.

Julie-Su opened her eyes and was instantly heartbroken. The dream was over. He was gone again. She looked to see that she had been kissing her pillow, and his nose had been one of the four corners. She threw the pillow away and silently wept, as she did on most mornings after waking up. Would her pain ever cease? Probably not. She got dressed, placed her hat on her head and exited her room to meet the others. They had decided to meet at seven, since the fighting would begin at nine. Everyone got together and headed towards the banquet hall, where they were served breakfast. "Everyone but Cuddles is here," Freezie pointed out, as he noticed Enigma was the only one missing. Some other fighters were already there when they arrived, and the others came after them. "Who cares," Espio sighed as he began to eat.

After they ate they went to the arena to see Enigma standing beside the ring, as still as a statue. "He is waaaaay too creepy," Sonic commented. After all the fighters had gathered, Chaose emerged and stood in front of his black throne. "You will see over on the wall that the matches have already been chosen," he said. They looked at the chart and were instantly shocked. "Wait a sec!!! We're matched up against each other!!!" F.C. shouted in surprise. "Yes. I have no fighters of my own for you to contend with. You must battle each other. This tournament will be the hardest thing you will ever have to do in your life. You may be pitted against your best friend and perhaps even have to kill him to win. The winner will be the champion of the planet, and will have the honor of fighting me! This is the Chaose Tournament! Let the fighting begin!!!"

**Author's Note:** Yet another cliffhanger from your good friend, KnuxfanEO. So? Waddaya think? Questions? Comments? Hope you like Enigma and Chaose, because I do. Anyway, I hate to leave you hanging like this, but Junior year becons. High School really sucks. However, I will finds time to keep you satisfied. But for now, you'll just have to wait and see what will happen. Be prepeared for awesome match ups, laughs, and more about the mysterious Enigma. L8r!


	3. Only the Stong Survive

ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE

"The next match will be between…Quick Freeze and Shadow the Hedgehog!" a dark chao announced. "Son of a biscuit!!!" Freezie shouted at the sky. Shadow chuckled and glanced over at him. "I mean c'mon! He's got his Chaos Control thingie and he can whoop me!" Freezie continued. "Don't worry. I won't use it. You're so slow I won't need to," Shadow said. "OOOOOOOOO," the Chaotix said. Freezie glanced over at Shadow and said, "Well Shadow, lets see how quick you are in the ring." "If you ran your feet as fast as you ran your mouth, then I'd be in trouble." Freezie couldn't believe it. Someone was beating him at trash talking. They both stepped onto opposite ends of the ring and glared each other down. "Ready…FIGHT!!!"

They both began to run around the ring, keeping on the opposite side of the other. Finally, they dashed into the center of the ring and began to fight as super speed. After a few seconds, Freezie came flying back, sliding along the ring floor. He tried to get up, but his chest was on fire, and to top everything off, Shadow put his foot on it. "I give, Shadow. You're a better fighter and trash talker." "No. That stays with you. I just don't let you get in here," Shadow said, pointing at his head. "The winner is…Shadow the Hedgehog!!!" The stands, filled with dark chao, began to cheer. No one felt comfortable, considering they were in a stadium filled with little creatures that could eat them. "Next will be…Mighty the Armadillo and Captain Independence!"

The two friends walked onto the ring and shook hands, smiling. "How about we make it interesting?" Mighty suggested. "How so?" Cap asked. "We'll grip lock in the center, and whoever can push the other out of the ring wins. That way, the strongest guy will go on, no questions asked." "Sounds fine to me." Both got in the center of the ring and locked hands, ready to push with all their might. They stared at each other, now smiling with wicked smiles, excited at the challenge. "Ready…FIGHT!!!" Their muscles tensed as they pushed as hard as they could. They both growled as their veins began to bulge out. Both had their feet planted, and weren't willing to move without their consent. For what seemed like forever, they stood there, no one losing any ground. Their bodies became damp with sweat as it began to drip down their faces onto the arena floor. Finally, enough was enough. They both pushed forward at the same time, cracking the center of the arena. Suddenly, Mighty began to feel the tiles behind his feet crumbling. He tried as hard as he could, but slowly, Cap gained the upper hand and pushed him to the edge. Mighty could feel his foot on the edge, glanced back, then to Cap again with a smile. "Well, it was fun," he said. "Yeah. Good job. We'll do this again some time," Cap replied before sending Mighty over the edge of the arena.

The two powerhouses walked towards a bench and plopped down, laughing, as the next match was called. Everyone observed a fight between a panda and a kangaroo. The kangaroo came in with lighting-quick jabs, but the panda's thick layer of blubber protected him. The panda took a swipe, but the kangaroo jumped up and bounced off of his head. The panda, now annoyed, began to swipe away, tearing up the arena. The kangaroo landed just on the edge and glanced back smiling. The panda charged at him, but he bounced up and kicked off of his head, sending him out of the ring.

"That was neat. Man, this is cool. We got front seats to the greatest fights in history. It's better than super bowl and World Series tickets all in one year!" Morph said. "I guess," Amy said. "Next up is…Razor Blade and Enigma the Echidna!" Everyone jumped to attention. They wanted to see what the 'walker's fighter' could do. Razor hissed at Enigma, not forgetting what he did to his older brother, Switch. "I'll kill you for Switch," he growled. Enigma didn't answer. He just stood there at the other end of the ring. Razor prepared for a quick assault as Enigma bowed, showing some signs of honor and respect. "Ready…FIGHT!!!" Right away Razor charged, extending his lethal claws. They watched in awe as he landed with a thud behind Enigma. "Wh-what???" Bunnie stuttered. "He…he finished him with one move," Tails muttered. "An elbow strike to the back of the head. Our friend here is very deadly at close range. Quick reflexes and powerful blows make a lethal combination," Shadow said as they watched Enigma step off of the arena floor. He turned towards them, his body shook in a slight chuckle, and he departed again. "Locke was right. He's no normal echidna," Vector said. "Then again, you don't have to worry, do you Vec?" Ray stated. "Well neither do you, remember? We both know neither of us would stand a chance, so why bother?"

They watched a few more matches, catching a break. "Now, Viper Ninja and Espio the Chameleon!" "OOOO! Ninja battle!" DJ said as they stepped into the ring. They both bowed and came up in their fighting positions. "Ready…FIGHT!!!" Espio drew several ninja stars and hurled them as they both jumped back. Vipes evaded most of them, except on that was heading for his head! After a quick flash, Vipes held his hand in front of his face, the star between his fingers. Espio camouflaged, making himself invisible to Vipes. The young ninja, however, took his long, purple scarf and threw it around his eyes, blinding himself. He stood there for a moment, then threw a back kick, revealing a falling Espio. Knowing camouflage wouldn't help, Espio ran in for some hand-to-hand combat. Vipes pulled away the scarf to intercept the attacking chameleon. They battled with martial arts, using chops, kicks and jabs. The lighter Espio held the advantage in this fight, and Vipes knew it. He took a few steps back and drew his sword. "This sword, as you know, is magic. In battle, I have never, ever lost as long as I have wielded it." "There's a first time for everything!" Espio yelled as they both charged and leapt into the air. Vipes took a side slash with his sword, which Espio easily evaded. What he didn't evade was the sword's holster, which struck him on the side of the head. As Espio moaned on the ground, Vipes held the tip of his sword to the chameleon's head, forcing him to stay down. "Just because a weapon is drawn, doesn't mean it will be used. Lucky for you I'm a friend."

Sonic rather enjoyed himself during his match. He was pitted against a large, muscular bear, who couldn't lay a paw on him. Sonic toyed with him, which was rather annoying, and began to drive the poor bear mad. Finally, he began to run in a circle around his opponent, lifting him up into the air and dropping him on the arena floor. He smirked as the announcer declared his victory, and proudly marched off the arena. "So much for modesty," Shadow muttered. "Hey! I won, didn't I?" Sonic said. Sally rolled her eyes. So far it's been pretty straight forward," Rotor said, "Nothing too exhilarating." "Well, it's only the preliminaries. No one wants to show off all they got right away…except for Sonic," Ray joked. "Yeah, laugh it up!" Sonic replied. "Morph Man and Grim Reaper!" the announcer shouted. "Oh…crap," Morph mumbled. "Let's go have some fun," Grim said menacingly as he patted Morph on the shoulder. "Ready…FIGHT!!!" Morph created a large gap in his stomach area to avoid getting fried by a fireball. "Woah! Watch it!" Morph yelled. He formed some large wings and began to fly into the air above Grim. "Wuss!" Grim shouted angrily, shaking his fist. Morph smiled and turned himself into a flame proof metal, as long and as wide as the arena so Grim couldn't dodge him. "Crap!" Grim shouted as it fell towards him. 'Wait a sec…if he's stretched that far, then he can't be too thick. Gotta hit him hard, or I'm done!' he thought to himself as he balled his hand into a fist and lunged upwards at Morph's new form. He threw as hard a punch as he could, hearing his knuckles crack against the metal. On the plus side, he also heard the breaking of the metal, as he punched a hole through it. "OW! HEY! No fair! That was my chest!" Morph yelled as he reformed, with a gap in his chest. Grim held up pieces of the metal and threw them out of the ring. "You can give up now, or I can take you apart bit by bit. Your choice." "AHHH! You suck! I…I give."

They watched as Morph held the metal fragments against his chest and they fused to his body. "That's weird. I've seen him do that so many times, but I'll never accept it," Rouge said. "It's getting very warm in here," Julie-Su said as she took her hat off, brushed her hair back and placed it back on. "Yes. I vill guess et iz ze 'heat of combat'," Antione said. "Or grim roasting hot dogs behind you," Rotor said as he pointed behind his coyote friend. Indeed, Grim, along with the Chaotix and the rest of the Ravagers, were roasting hot dogs over Grim's flaming palm. "MMMM! Gooood eatin'" Mighty said as he bit his dog off the end of the stick. They then noticed everyone staring at them. Mighty shrugged and said, "Hey! Guys gotta eat! Want some?" "No thanks," Amy said. "I do!" Sonic yelled as he ran over. "At least turn the heat down," Rouge said, fanning herself. "Oh sure, and stand here cooking the dogs for an hour!" Grim spat as he lessened the flame. "Boys and their grills," Bunnie said. "Pyros and their fire is more like it," Julie-Su commented.

"Next is…Sword Swiper and Forest Centipede. Gee that's a weird name," the announcer said. "Oh sure. Mock the guy with the funny name. I told the ancient ones it was too goofy, but noooo, they're the wise ones that know everything!" F.C. said to himself as he and Swiper entered the ring. "Listen F.C., just don't drop me on my head, okay?" Swiper asked. He knew right away he was not going to win. F.C. was a mage, although he was not aware of all the mystic arts and was known to screw up a spell every so often. He could easily overcome Swiper with minimal magic, and Swiper didn't want to be trounced. "No need to worry. I'll go easy on you." "Ready…FIGHT!!!" Swiper made a valiant charge at the young mage, but didn't get very far. F.C. mumbled some incantation as his hands glowed. "Beloth xainen…no wait! I meant xainon! Xainon!" F.C. yelled as Swiper was encased in a large, clear cube. Swiper looked around inside the box, glanced over at F.C. and asked, "What the hell is this thing?" "It's a xainen cube! It will slowly shrink in size and send you to another dimension!" Swiper didn't respond, just staring at him. "Which is bad," F.C. concluded. "Get me outta here then!!!" Swiper yelled. "Uhhhh…" F.C. mumbled as he had a flashback.

"Forest Centipede!" "Do you know how stupid that name is? I mean really!" "Silence! Are you even paying attention? "Uhhh…" "One day you will need to know how to destroy a xainen cube, and you won't know how to!" "Yes master. 'Yeah, right!'"

F.C. stared blankly as he finished his flashback. He scratched his head and said, "Man, that really came back to bite me in the ass, didn't it?" "GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!" Swiper yelled. "Listen! You need to think outside the box!!!" "How?" "Uhhh…DJ! Give him something stupid to think about!" F.C. shouted at DJ. "Limin flavored chiven!" DJ shouted. "What?!?! What the hell is that???" Swiper shouted back. "You tell me!" "I dunno? Lemon flavored chicken? Lemon scented chives? Lemon scented chicken and chives with lime? Lime-" "You're out of the box, now." Swiper looked around him to see that the box had dispersed and vanished. "Good!" "Now we can continue our match." "NO WAY! I'm not letting you say another word! I give up, man!"

As they walked down from the arena floor, DJ noticed Rouge staring at him curiously. "What?" he asked. "Limin flavored chiven? Really, DJ. I don't think you can say anything stupider than that." "Monkey forehead." "I stand corrected." Rouge said with a sigh.

There were more matches after that, but at about five o'clock, the fights concluded. Chaose stood from his black throne and applauded them with clapping. "I am very pleased with what I have seen. There is much talent among you. I was very much impressed with the wide variety of abilities displayed today. Now, however, will be a time of rest. You may go to the banquet hall and eat in one hour. I will see you then." With that final word, he bowed, turned around, and walked down a long, dark passage out of the arena.

At dinner, they discussed who among them was still in the tournament, and the level of competition. "We got Sonic, Shadow, Cap, Grim, Vipes, F.C., DJ, and Rob. Pretty good line up for us," Sally said as she took a sip of her soup. "Any good competition?" Bunnie asked. "No one really," Sonic said with an assured smirk. "Forgetting about Enigma, are we?" Grim said. "Oh yeah, him. I guess I forgot him, being he's never around unless he's fighting. Guy doesn't even bother to see what the competition is. Doesn't even come to dinner." "I was looking at the line ups for tomorrow. The next one to fight Enigma is…DJ." They all turned to DJ, who had taken his helmet off, but left his beanie on. "Meh. No worries. Way I see it, I gotta keep my distance. He's a close-combat guy, so I'll stay ranged, and be airborne for as long as possible." DJ said as he ate some of the chicken he had put on his plate. " Just be careful. Don't do anything you would do," Amy said. "What do you mean?" "Stupid," Shadow stated, finishing Amy's trail of thought. "Hey! It's me! I got it covered. He belched, stood up and looked out the door. "I'm gonna find Cap. Later!" He said as he picked up his helmet and walked out.

DJ found Cap lying on the small bit of grass surrounding the hotel, staring at the heavens with his hands behind his head. "What's up, bro?" DJ asked. "Nothing," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "Just checking out the sky. I'm just so used to one moon." "Yeah. It's neat. But…everything else isn't. Ya know, I thought it'd be cool to go to another dimension and compete in a tournament to save the world. Super Hero stuff. But this really sucks. I guess being a super hero isn't all it's cracked up to be." "Such is life," Cap said. "Yeah. I mean, we're living the dream of every little kid. Being a super hero. Fighting bad guys. Doing it with serious style. But there's so much more to it," DJ said, lowering his head. "DJ…Todd…do you, I dunno…wanna give it up? Be normal teens again?" "Hell no. I couldn't go back to that. We've gone too far. Done too much. Now it's just kinda natural. Besides, I own a mega-corporation, remember? This keeps me from doing the paperwork, and hiring someone else to do it." Cap laughed as he slowly stood up. "Yeah. We can't stop now. C'mon. Let's chill with the others."

On a familiar beach, a familiar figure is in deep meditation. Today was the the beginning. Soon it would all be over. He would defeat Chaose, and everything he prepared for would be fulfilled. But what then? He shook his head and concentrated on the task at hand. He knew that Sonic and his friends would do anything to stop him, and he must be willing to do the same. Perhaps he would use his opponent tomorrow as an example for the rest, telling the others to back off. Perhaps…


	4. Lost in an Enigma

LOST IN AN ENIGMA

A loud alarm went off, alerting Todd as he slowly got up, groaning. "That isn't my alarm clock. What the Hell?" he asked as he scratched his head. He looked at his hands and saw that the ends were like talons. "Since when did my suit have talons?…Since when did I sleep in my suit?" He shrugged as he got up and stretched. He pushed a switch in his hand, and a spark ignited a beam sword in his right hand. He stared in awe and said, "Coooool. Wait a tick, I never got my prototype working, and I didn't bring it, either." He turned it off and then realized that he felt weird.

"My stomach feels weird…like it's…not there, or something. And my face feels weird, too," he said to himself as he walked over to the mirror and gasped. His body was thin and lean, with a long head. He wasn't in his own suit, but another. His face wasn't even human. His cheeks were another set of jaws. "Oh man…I got gills!…Cool! I'm a Covenant Elite! I even have two sets of teeth! I wonder if that means I can talk with my mouth full now?"

Suddenly, there was an explosion in another room, which shook him. Another Elite ran in and began roaring at him. "Uhhh…I don't speak French…where's Antoine when you need him?" A door opened and a barrage of bullets sent the other Elite flying dead into the wall. Todd slowly turned around to see another armored figure, only he appeared more human. His armor was a jade green, with a yellow visor. "Master Chief…Dude…I've played both your games! They rule! And…" Todd looked at Master Chiefs hands to see he was holding an- "AN ELITE ASSAULT RIFLE! SHWAY, MAN! Why…are you…pointing that at…me?" Todd looked down at himself and began to panic. "Wait! I'm a human! Well…I was…I think…But I'm a fan!" Master Chief pointed his weapon at the Elite as it began to roar at him. "Raaaargh! Arrrgh! Braaagh!" 'Ooooooooo-kay,' Master Chief thought to himself. "If this is about the plasma disk thingie months back, and me saying you got nothin' on me, I'm sorry man! Look! Here! Take my beam sword! It's cooler than the assault rifle!" Todd said as he drew the sword and held it before him. Master Chief raised the gun and pulled the trigger.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Todd yelled as he shot up out of bed. He quickly checked himself over to make sure he was still human, and to make sure he didn't have a hole in his chest. He panted as he realized it was a dream and flopped on his back onto his bed. He looked over at his hand and tried to click the switch for the beam sword, but nothing happened. "Dammit!" he shouted.

Everyone was in the middle of eating when DJ finally met up with them. "'Bout time! Thought you wussed out," Vector said. "I had a weird dream last night. Master Chief came to me in a vision. I think I'm gonna win!" "What makes you so sure?" Cap asked. "Duh! Master Chief! The Pope might as well have given me his blessing!" DJ responded. "Well you better eat. You have to fight Enigma today," Sally said. "Copy that, Cortana?" DJ said. Sally just stared at him and shook her head as she went back to eating.

"WELCOME! To the second day of fighting! You have the honor of competing in the first official round of the tournament! Now…LET THE FIGHTING BEGIN!!!" Chaose announced as he took his seat. The dark chaos cheered as the first combatants entered the arena. Shadow was pitted against a muscular lion. "I love the kill almost as much as I love the hunt!" the lion snarled with a malicious smile at Shadow. "Funny. I thought female lions did most of the hunting while the males sat on their lazy-" The lion roared as he charged at Shadow. He was positive he had pounced on his prey, but when he looked, Shadow was not there. He stood up and looked behind him to see Shadow just standing there, smirking at him. "How dare you mock me!!!" the lion roared as he pounced again, when he landed, though, he didn't get up. Before Shadow had evaded him, he violently struck him in the stomach. Shadow turned away from him and began his descent from the arena floor.

"Nice, Shadow. Learning to do it with style!" Vector commented. "Or just doing it," Mighty said. A few more matches went by, and they got to see many kinds of fighters. All forms of fighting were used. Some with weapons, some without. No one was killed, however, not that it was illegal in the tournament. The fighters of Mobius had vowed not to kill any of their own while at the tournament. Finally, it came time for the match they had waited for. "Mecha DJ and Enigma the Echidna!" They all looked over at DJ, who was hopping back and forth to get loose. He dropped to the ground and spun on the small of his back, his trademark break-dancing move. "Aight (Misspelled purposely)! I'm ready!" DJ said as he balled his fist and held it before Cap. Cap smiled and finished the pound-up as DJ walked up onto the arena floor. Enigma slowly drifted towards the center of the arena, where the two met. "Sup!" Silence. Enigma didn't even flinch. "Silent type, huh? Cool mask. Couldn't resist a Predator mask after seeing AVP, huh?" Still no answer. "Fine then. Good luck." "I won't need it. However, I extend the same to you." "Ready…FIGHT!!!"

DJ jumped back and began to hover into the air. "Alright! I'm da Mecha D-DJ, and we're gonna mix it up!" he shouted as he began to move his arms and hands around as if he were playing a scratchboard. "What's he doing?" Tails asked. "New move," Swiper replied. Suddenly, a clear blue energy disk appeared in each hand. "Here's my latest mix! I call it 'Enigma Beat-down'!" he shouted as he tossed the two spinning disks at Enigma. Enigma stood still, not budging from when the match started. "Uhhh, dude! The disks! Coming…at…you." Still Enigma didn't move. "DUDE! Those things will cut right through you! Move!" DJ shouted. He didn't want to hit Enigma with them. He had planned to use them as a diversion and sneak up on Enigma after they exploded. The disks were drawing nearer as DJ hit his jets and flew towards Enigma. "DJ!!! What the hell are you doing?!?!" Sally shouted. "The good guy thing!" he replied as he shot two mini-disks at the two larger ones, making them explode before reaching Enigma. DJ shut off the jets, but was caught off guard as Enigma flew through the cloud of smoke between them. DJ never even saw the punch. He felt his body going backwards as the chest plate of his armor burst, shattering all over the ground. His body went sliding along the arena floor with a screeching sound as he finally stopped at the edge with his head dangling over the edge. His friends hurried to him, shouting his name. "DJ! Say something!" Sally pleaded, tears in her eyes. "msr chf…" "Huh?" Julie-Su said as they listened closer. "…master chief…I failed you…" Sally growled in frustration as the guys let out a sigh of relief.

"Do not look so relieved. He is still in the ring, and Enigma can still kill him if he wishes," Chaose said. They turned to Chaose and then to Enigma, who was standing over DJ. DJ looked up and muttered, "Well…you…said you'd kill us…if we got in your way…Give me…one last request and…make it quick." They others looked in horror as Enigma raised his foot over DJ's chest, ready to stomp on it. They couldn't interfere, or else they'd be disqualified from the tournament. DJ opened his eyes under the visor to see Enigma frozen above him. He put his foot down oh DJ's side slowly, and pushed him off of the arena floor into the arms of his friends. "And the winner is…Enigma the Echidna!!!" As the crowd cheered, they looked up at him as he walked away. He glanced over at Chaose and said, "You will be my only victim."

As Julie-Su helped the others lower DJ softly to the ground, she glanced over at Enigma leaving the arena and noticed a limp in his step. "Uh, guys…I'm just…going for a walk," she said. They nodded and turned their attention back to DJ. It's not that they didn't care, but they knew that sometimes she wanted to be alone, and they had to accept it. She tightened her hat as she walked out of the arena. She looked up at the sky and sighed. It was as black and cloudy as it was on Mobius. It had been weeks since she had seen the light of the sun. It was then that she caught a growling in her ear, and looked over in that direction. She walked towards a patch of trees by the beach and saw Enigma sitting on a rock, doing something with his leg. Obviously, he had gotten a shard of DJ's armor stuck in his leg. She stood there for a moment, thinking to leave, but took a deep breath and slowly walked forward. "…Enigma?" Enigma quickly turned around, causing her to jump. There was a short pause, until he said, "Forgive me. I did not mean to frighten you." "With the way you've been treating us, I thought that was all you wanted." He didn't reply at first, but finally said, "I only wish for no one else to become a victim of this tournament. I have no quarrel with you or your friends. I only wish to destroy Chaose."

She looked down at his leg to see that there was a shard stuck I it. It had shredded through the cloak, and had dug into his upper leg. "Are you-" "I'm fine." "Do you want me to-" "No. I can –" "Look, let me help you before you bleed to death! If you are supposed to beat Chaose, you can't if you bleed to death," She said as she pulled out a tweezers from her belt and knelt next to him. "This might hurt," she warned as she began to try and remove the shard. She was surprised when he didn't even flinch. "That didn't hurt?" she asked as she flung the bloody shard away. "Pain is something I am used to." She sprayed some disinfectant on the gash, but before she could bandage it, he tore a piece of his cloak and tied it around the wound. He looked up at her and paused. "Thank you." "You're welcome." She replied. "Forgive my silences. It…has been so long since I have carried a conversation with anyone." She sat down on a rock across from him and asked, "Why? Why did you spare DJ?" "Perhaps I am not as evil as you and your friends think." "Maybe."

He looked up at her head and said, "That is a very interesting hat." She took it off and held it over her heart. "It…it was given to me by someone…special. A good friend." "Was he your lover?" She looked up at him curiously and asked, "What makes you so sure it's a guy in the first place?" "Only such a thing as lost love could make one's aura so empty and desolate." The paused and lowered her head. "Yes. He was. But…he's gone now," she said just above a whisper as a tear began to fall from her eye. She opened her eyes when she felt the tip of his finger wipe her tear away. "Such beauty should not be soiled by a frown or a tear." She paused, but then smiled and said, "Thank you." There was a moment or two of silence, until she asked, "So what will you do after this is all over? Do you have a lover waiting for you?" He sighed and replied, "I cannot go back to my old life, now. I must wander alone…for the rest of my days. I had a great life. Family…friends…a love so great…but then the Walkers took me from it all. All for this. I cannot return to them now, for reasons you would never understand. It has been three, long, miserable years since then. Now…I am alone." He lowered his head as she stared at him sympathetically. Suddenly, an idea hit her. "No. You don't have to be alone. You can come with me and the others…back to the Floating Island." He looked up at her, surprised, and asked, "What?" "You'd like it up there. It's beautiful. Flowers of every color you can think of, forests, jungles, fields, mountains…you name it, it's there." "To me, you are describing paradise." "It is." "But why? Why offer this great thing to one such as I? A stranger!" She smiled and answered, "Because he would. Our friend Shadow was alone at one point, and he offered him refuge. It's kind of a place for people who need to find a place to belong." They heard the crowds cheer, and Julie-Su's friends cheering with them. "You must go back to them, and I must be off." They both stood up, but paused for a moment before leaving. "I will consider your offer." "Good." He turned to leave, but she felt compelled to ask, "Why do you wear that mask? Why do you never show your face?" He paused, turned back to her, and replied, "This is my face," before making his departure. After a few seconds, she too left, heading to the arena.

When she re-entered the arena, Sonic and Vipes were in the ring, panting vigorously. "That last one came close! Watch those ninja stars!" "I'm just letting you know your speed won't help you." Sonic smirked and said, "Oh really?" as he began to run around Vipes in a wide circle. 'He's trying to make a tornado and lift me off the ground! Better work fast,' Vipes thought as he threw a ninja star, just missing Sonic. 'Darn! He's speeding up and slowing down to avoid my stars, but is still keeping the momentum going!' He twitched his wrist, but no additional stars came from his wrist cuff. 'All out. Time for close up!' Vipes ran to the edge of the arena, finding it harder to keep his feet on the ground. He transformed his sword into a nun-chuck, knowing Sonic could duck under it and allowing Vipes to attack with a kick. He swung it into Sonic's path, but was stunned when his feet came out from under him. Sonic had slid by and tripped him, and was about to connect with an uppercut. "Well played," Vipes said before Sonic's fist connected, sending him out of the ring.

As they rejoined the others, Sally had just finished filling Julie-Su in on what she missed. Shadow and F.C. had fought, but it was over rather quickly. Shadow knew not to let F.C. speak, especially after what almost happened to Swiper, and used chaos control to quickly knock him out of the ring.

"Next up is…Captain Independence and Grim Reaper!" The two Ravagers looked at each other with glaring eyes, and slowly entered the ring. "This'll be good. Ever since…the funeral, they've been training non-stop. I'd like to see what they can really do," Morph said.

The two met in the middle of the ring and paused. "Just so you know…no matter who wins, no matter what happens-" Cap began, until Grim finished his sentence, "Always be true to each other." Cap smiled as the two friends shook hands and got positioned for battle. "Ready…FIGHT!!!" Grim didn't even bother with his sythe. He and Cap just went at it hand-to-hand. Every few seconds, one would land a blow, then the other would exchange it with their own. "Their fighting seems the same to me," Espio commented. "Just you wait," DJ said as he clutched his bandaged chest. Cap and Grim both threw up a right kick at the same time, sending each other flying in opposite directions. They slowly brought themselves up and chuckled. "Done with your warm-up?" Grim asked. "Yeah. You?" Cap replied, cracking his knuckles. Grim nodded as he cracked his neck. Both yelled as they concentrated their energies, Cap focusing his upped glucose levels and Grim focussing his raw half-demon energy. The two charged and met in the center where they clashed. Everyone looked on in awe. Even Chaose was impressed. "I have never seen such flawless fighting in my life! Their blows are too strong to be countered, and they're both fast enough to block each other's attacks! It's a perfect stalemate!" Espio said as he watched, wide-eyed. Indeed it was a stalemate. Neither could land a blow. Finally, it ended in a grip lock. Both yelled as they pushed with all their might, cracking the arena floor. Cap drew back his right fist as Grim drew back his left. "KENZO…" "FLAME…" "FIST!!!" they yelled together as their energy-charged fists collided, sending each other flying off of the arena floor and into the solid walls of the stadium. They both groaned and looked at each other. "G-Got y-you," Cap said with a smile. "Go-ot y-you, t-too," Grim said. They both chuckled slightly, until they both fell to the ground unconscious.

"Uhhh…how do they call this one?" Sonic asked Shadow, who shrugged. "Both the fighters have been fried, so they will be disqualified!" the dark chao announced. "That is such bull, man! It's a draw! They should get to fight again! Have you ever played a fighting game in your life? Draws are always re-fought!" Freezie yelled. "In this tournament, those are the rules. Besides, they will be in no condition to fight tomorrow anyway, no matter who is the winner," Chaose said, "However, that was quite a spectacular match. I am very pleased. In light of this match, the semi-finalists of Mobius are…Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Enigma the Echidna! Tomorrow, it will be decided who will face me in the final match of the final Chaose Tournament!" The dark chaos cheered while the fighters from Mobius looked at the two hedgehogs. "It doesn't matter what happens now, but it rests in you now. You must stop him," a bull said to the two hedgehogs. "Don't worry. Well be heading home before you know it," Sonic said with a smile. "C'mon. Let's get Cap and Grim to the infirmary," Mighty said as he and Ray took Cap's arms over their shoulders and moved him along.

As the others were in the infirmary, Shadow asked Sonic to step outside with him. When he stepped outside, Sonic shivered. The air was chilly. "Yeah? What is it, Shadow? Can't we do this inside?" "We need to talk about Enigma." "What about him?" "Today, during his match with DJ, did anything seem strange to you?" "Besides the fact that DJ lost?" "I'm serious. When DJ attacked, Enigma didn't even budge. He knew DJ wouldn't let the disks kill him. He knew to wait for DJ to create the proper cover." "Maybe he just knows that we're good guys and we do that kind of stuff." "I think that maybe it's something more. I think…he might be able to read minds." "What???" Sonic was baffled. If it was true, they were done for. "He seemed to anticipate the movements of all his competitors. If I am correct in my judgement, then we have no chance against him." With this said, Shadow walked towards the door. As he opened it, he turned to Sonic, who was frozen in thought, and said, "Let us hope I am wrong," before walking inside and closing the door, leaving Sonic to dwell on the thought.


	5. Revelation

REVELATION

**Author's Note**: I am SOOOO sorry it took so long to get this up. So much has happened since my last posting (AP History essay, Breaking Benjamin concert, Lostprophets concert, holidays, the list goes on). Hope you enjoy the concluding chapters of the Chaose Tournament!

"What would you like to eat, perhaps and egg with a slice of meat?" the dark chao asked Grim, who growled in irritation. "You've asked me that every morning…and you know what? IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!!! Stop speaking in rhyme!!!" "Calm down, Grim," Cap said. Cap's right hand was bandaged, as was Grim's left. Their backs were a bit banged up, but no serious damage was done. "That was an awesome match with you two yesterday. I didn't think you could fight so well," Espio commented. "Too bad it won't matter in the tournament, since those B.S. rules D.Q..ed both of them," DJ said as he sipped some orange juice. Sally looked over at Sonic and noticed he wasn't eating. "Something wrong?" she asked. "No. Everything's fine!" he replied with a fake smile. He would never admit it to anyone, but what Shadow had mentioned the night before had bothered him. Could Enigma read minds? What did that mean for him if he could? He just wasn't sure.

Julie-Su opened her eyes and knew something was different. Her room seemed different from what it had been the night before. She looked out her window and gasped. It was Echidnapolis. She was back home. Before, there was blackness out her window. She quickly got dressed and opened her door to see that she was in her apartment building. She picked up the newspaper at her doorstep and read the date. It was months ago. Was everything…the break up, Eclipse, Station Square, his death, the tournament…was it all a dream? If it was…Her eyes widened as she ran outside and began to run out of the city and into the woods. As she was running, she stopped at the sight of him. That same smile, those eyes she loved, it was him. "Julie? Is something wrong?" She ran and threw her arms around him. "Woah! Where's the fire? You okay?" he asked. "Everything's fine. I…I just had the most horrible dream. I want things to be different. I want us to be closer than ever." She could tell by his gulp that he was a bit embarrassed. Just like him. "You sure you're okay? C'mon. Let's go get some breakfast." He led her back into the city, blushing at the fact that she was clinging to his arm tightly. They stopped as a forked street with a restaurant in the middle. Before crossing, he pointed over to the right. She looked over and gasped at the sight of Enigma. "I think you'd be happier with him." She looked up at him and said, "But…but you-" "Can't be there in person. Julie, I'll always love you, but I can't let you be happy in your dreams and tortured while awake. It's not fair to you." She couldn't believe it. It was all a dream. It had seemed so, so real. "Go to him," Knuckles said. With tear filled eyes, she kissed him one last time and went towards Enigma. She looked back at him and saw that he was heading to the left. "You won't dream of me anymore. You'll have him to dream of, now. Just remember, I'll always be with you," he said as he disappeared. She turned to see she was face to face with Enigma. "I am sorry for what you have lost. I can never replace him, but…" His hand reached up and grasped the side of his mask, and began to pull it away. She was blinded by a bright light, and when she opened her eyes, she was in her room again.

The arena was filled once again with cheering dark chaos. A section of the arena had been reserved for those who had competed and had been disqualified, so the fighters from Mobius were all seated, overlooking the arena. From a long corridor, Sonic and Shadow stepped out, with their friends following them. From another corridor, Enigma emerged from the shadows. Chaose smiled to himself, knowing that these fights would decide whom he would fight the next day. Being that the semi-finals was only going to be two matches, Chaose saw fit to let them take place in the middle of the day, rather than the morning as the last days had been. The dark clouds looked over them as they prepared for the deciding matches. Chaose stood and said, "You three have come very far, and should be proud of your accomplishment. Being there are only three of you left, you shall have to draw to see who fights whom. Two will fight, and one will have the fortune of getting a free pass to the final semi-match." A dark chao scurried over to the three finalists, holding a black box. "Now it's time for you to draw, but we draw bones instead of straws," it said as it presented the box. Three bones were sticking out of it, and each of them drew one. Sonic sighed as he saw that he had drawn the shortest bone. "It is decided. Shadow the Hedgehog and Enigma the Echidna will now enter the ring," Chaose announced, receiving a loud cheer.

The two figures entered the ring and met in the middle. "I knew you'd make it this far. You and I are the only real competitors now. The other hedgehog makes a mockery of himself," Enigma said. "I will admit, he doesn't take things seriously, but I think he's glad he won't have to face you." "Don't worry. He will." Enigma bowed, and Shadow did the same. "Ready…FIGHT!!!" Shadow immediately jumped back and began to run around the arena. 'I can't let him get too close, or I'm done,' Shadow thought to himself as he watched Enigma standing perfectly still. Shadow timed everything right and went for a powerful kick, but Enigma countered it by flipping him through the air. Shadow gained his balance, but was startled when he realized he had landed on the very edge of the ring! He looked up and saw Enigma throwing a kick, which he barely dodged. Enigma threw a roundhouse next, trying to keep Shadow off balance on the edge of the ring. Enigma bent down and went for a slide-out kick, trying to trip Shadow, but the hedgehog jumped and avoided it. Seeing his chance to attack, Shadow sent a downward kick towards Enigma. Enigma saw the kick and rolled back into a handstand, with Shadow just sailing over him and landing behind him. Enigma, still in a handstand, grabbed Shadow's head between his feet and threw him out of the ring.

No one could believe it. Shadow had lost. "The winner is…Enigma!!!" The crowd cheered as Enigma went back to the center of the ring and glanced over at Sonic. Sonic couldn't move. He thought for sure Shadow would win. "Next is Enigma and Sonic the Hedgehog!!!" Sonic gulped and slowly walked onto the arena and met Enigma in the middle. "You ready?" Enigma asked. "Yeah! Ready to win!" Sonic said, trying to seem confident. Enigma chuckled and replied, "You can't fool anyone, especially me. I can see it in your aura that you're scared. And even if I couldn't see your aura, I can smell your fear." Sweat dripped down Sonic's brow. Enigma was really getting to him. "Ready…FIGHT!!!"

Sonic immediately backed off. He knew he had to keep his distance. Shadow took a chance with an attack, and it cost him the match. Sonic would wait for Enigma to make the first move. "What's wrong? Too scared to come near me?" Enigma said as he stood there. "What about you? You aren't doing anything but stand there!" Sonic snapped back. Enigma chuckled and replied, "I have nothing to prove. I have already displayed how I can defeat any opponent with little to no effort. You, however, have shown that you can run around in circles and attack indirectly like a coward. That isn't fighting. You are a joke. The great Sonic the Hedgehog, champion of Mobius. HA! I'm surprised there's still a planet for Chaose to destroy! You shouldn't even be here! You should have stayed home and let real fighters handle this. You make me laugh." And he did laugh. It began with a chuckle, then Sonic yelled "Shut up!," and it escalated into a deep laugh. Sonic, feeling insulted, charged at Enigma at full speed. Enigma sidestepped Sonic, who began to skid along the floor. "Reverse Sonic Spin!" Sonic yelled as he performed his trademark Sonic spin in reverse, poised at Enigma. Enigma turned around to see the sonic spin coming at him.

'SHING!' They watched in horror as the Sonic spin cut right through Enigma. Sonic slid to a stop and looked at Enigma, who had his back turned to Sonic. "No…I-I didn't mean to k-kill him…" Sonic muttered to himself. "Dude…" Morph muttered as they stared at Enigma. Suddenly, the cloak he had been wearing fell to the ground in two separate halves. Enigma's body was gone. "Was…was he a ghost?" Tails asked. DJ detected something in his visor and looked up. "He's up in the air!" They all looked up to see Enigma landing on the ground where his severed cloak lay. For the first time, they got a look at his physical appearance. He was really muscular, with black flame tattoos under his shoulders and just above his biceps. He wore a black, sleeveless, skin-tight outfit, with a white circle on the back. In the circle was what appeared to be a Japanese symbol. On his wrists were black cuffs, and on his feet were black boots. He turned to Sonic, and revealed that his mask had a large crack in it, which ran through the eye and down the face. As the crack got greater, he said, "I had hoped it wouldn't have come to this."

The mask shattered, and the pieces rained upon the arena floor. Sonic, along with his friends, gasped. He looked exactly like…Knuckles. Sonic glanced down at his hands and saw two spurs on each of his hands, which had always been covered by the long sleeves of his cloak. He was pale, with rings under his violet eyes, which were glaring. Julie-Su felt her heart skip a beat as she gazed upon him. She suddenly couldn't feel her legs and began to wobble. Rouge and Sally saw this in time and grabbed her before she fell. She was down on her knees, staring at him with widened eyes. "Julie-Su! Are you okay?" Sally asked. Julie-Su continued to stare blankly at him, with tears falling from her eyes.

"Kn-Knuckles?" Sonic said as he reached out to him. "I'm afraid you're mistaken. From what I have gathered, he is dead. I am not who you think I am," Enigma replied, in a rather hoarse and scratchy voice. Sonic gave him a confused, baffled look and said, "But…you look just like-and the spurs…You are him!" "My name is Enigma the Echidna. I may resemble your lost friend, but I am not him. And I was born with these spurs on my hands." "Stop with the act, Knux! Why are you denying who you are???" Sonic asked, getting annoyed. "Because your friend is dead and he's never coming back!!!" Enigma yelled as he charged at Sonic. Sonic was too shocked by all of this to move, and took a powerful kick to the side. Sonic stopped sliding along the floor and clutched his side. Enigma walked over and took him by the neck. He lifted him up in front of him and said, "I have heard that this 'Knuckles' would never hurt his friends," Enigma said as he drew back his right fist, "Perhaps if I kill you you'll realize I am not him." "KNUCKLES! DON'T!" Sally pleaded. "Shut up, woman! I am not Knuckles he's dead and buried! And I'll kill this hedgehog to prove it!" Sonic chuckled and said, "Go ahead. Do it. Knuckles would never do it. But if you aren't him…if he's really dead…if my friend is really gone…THEN JUST SHUT UP AND GET IT OVER WITH!!!" Enigma growled as he threw his fist, but grabbed Sonic's shoulder and head-butted him, knocking him out cold.

"The winner is…Enigma the Echidna!!!" The chaos cheered as Enigma threw Sonic over his shoulder and took his over towards Sally and the others. He set him down in front of Sally, who grabbed Sonic and started crying. She looked up at Enigma, who just stared with emotionless eyes. He turned away from her as the others reached Sonic, and began to walk towards the middle of the arena. He glared over at Chaose, who was still clapping. "I always knew it was you. The Walkers invested too much in you to just kill you," Chaose said. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I hope you make the most of your last hours." "And I you." Enigma stepped off of the arena and began to walk towards the corridor he had entered from. A sudden jolt made him glance over to the side, and about one hundred meters away from him was Julie-Su, staring at him with tearing eyes. His eyes widened as his mouth hung open, and he quickly turned away and rushed down the corridor. Before anyone could do anything, Julie-Su sprang up and rushed after him.

"Damn it!" Enigma yelled as he punched another rock, shattering it. "Everything was going so well! That stupid hedgehog! What'll I do, now? They saw my face…they weren't supposed to! …damn it…" "Knuckles?" a familiar voice said from behind him. He turned his head and saw Julie-Su. "Or is Enigma your new name?" she asked. He turned away from her and lowered his head. There was a long silence, until he finally said, "I never wanted it to be this way…I wanted to tell you so much…but I couldn't. The Walkers said I had to keep my identity a secret. Because everyone on Mobius thinks I'm dead, I can't just pop up and say 'Hey! It's me! I'm not dead after all!'. If everyone thinks I'm dead…then I am. I wanted to take off the mask and say, 'It's me! I'm back! Don't cry anymore!'…but I didn't. I betrayed your trust again. For what it's worth…I'm so, so sorry for hurting you like this. Just leave me. After what I've done to you all I deserve to be alone." He felt a hand grasp his shoulder as she turned him towards her. She took off her gloves and rubbed her hand along his cheek. "You're so cold…" she whispered. "That's how I've felt for so long. I can't feel anything anymore…but…I can feel your hand on my face," he said as he placed his own right hand on her cheek. There was a brief pause, then she threw her arms around him and burst out, crying. They fell to their knees with their arms around each other as she continued to cry, and tears dripped from his own eyes.

"She went this way," Rouge said as the Chaotix and the Ravagers followed her. "Dude…this…this is freaky…" Swiper muttered. They were all stunned at what had just happened. Suddenly, they heard someone crying through a small patch of trees. They peered through them and saw the two echidnas on their knees, embracing each other. She was crying uncontrollably as he quietly shushed her as he stroked her hair, whispering, "It's okay, it's okay. I'm here. I'm here." She took her head off of his shoulder and stared at him for a moment with a bright smile. Suddenly, the two became trapped in a passionate kiss. "Uhhh…I think we better go. Let's give them a moment," Mighty whispered as they slowly tiptoed away. After the others left, Julie-Su yelped as she kissed him, startling him. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you? What-" he began, until she put a finger to his lips. "I'm fine! It's just that…heh…you need to shave," she said as she rubbed the short hairs on his cheeks. He sighed and chuckled. "Sorry about that. I haven't shaved since I got here." "Well where would you get a razor here, anyway?" "Well, I don't use a razor," he said as he showed off his spurs. "You use those?" "Well, why not? Easy to use, close shave, don't need to replace it…Fine for me." She chuckled as she eyed the black flame tattoos under his shoulders. "Long story," he said. She nodded and smiled as she rubbed her arms up his enlarged biceps, across his shoulders, and down his chest muscles. "OOOO. I like this." She looked up at him with a mischievous smile and said, "I'm gonna enjoy this sooo much." All he could do was smile mischievously back as he drew her closer.

"When you said we'd give them a moment, I didn't realize it would be an hour," Vector said. They were all packed in the infirmary, where Sonic was still lying unconscious. The door creaked open, and Julie-Su was standing there, smiling. She took a step forward, but something in her hand wouldn't budge. She looked back and said, "C'mon. Don't be shy," as she took Knuckles by the arm and walked him in. He looked up at them, and they just stared. There was an eerie silence for a minute or two, then Knuckles said, "I'll understand if none of you want to speak to me right now. After betraying your trust the way I did that's what I deserve." Mighty walked up to him, stared him down for a few seconds, and threw his arms around his friend, crying. "It's okay, Mighty," Knuckles said as he returned the hug. "KNUX!!!" The guys yelled as they crowded around him and gave him a big group hug. After many smiles and tears, his attention turned to Sally, who had not left Sonic's bedside, and was glaring at him. "It's alright if you won't speak to me, Sally. I-" Before he could finish his sentence, her arms were around him and she was crying.

Sonic began to stir and Sally rushed back to him. The hedgehog opened his eyes and growled at the sight of Knuckles. "Why you-!!!" "I liked the speech you gave at my funeral," Knuckles said with a smile before getting yet another hug. "It's good to see you, my friend," Shadow said to Knuckles with a smile as he walked in. First, the two shook hands, then they had their own quick embrace. "So where have you been? What's with the tattoos? And the muscles, and the suit, and the alias, and the ponytail and-" "Too many questions for now!" he said with a laugh. "And what were you saying on Mobius about three years of training? You were dead for six months? Trying to throw us off?" Sonic asked. "Uhhh…Yeah. Trying to…throw you off." He smiled as Julie-Su wrapped her arms around him with a sad look in her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked as he lifted her chin up with his finger. "Well…you have to fight Chaose tomorrow and…" "And I'll win. You can sleep tight," he whispered as he kissed her. "Hey! None of that around me!" Vector said. Everyone laughed as the two echidnas tightened their embrace through their laughter. "So what now?" Amy asked. "Actually, can we eat? I'm starving," Knuckles said. "Sure."

They stared in awe as they watched him eat. He was currently on his twelfth serving. "Uhhh…Knux?" Vector said. "Yeah?" Knuckles asked as he paused eating. "You just ate chicken." "So?" "Uhhh…Last I checked you didn't eat meat. Chicken is meat, dude." Knuckles looked down at the chicken bones and shrugged. "Whatever," he said as he finally finished eating. "Wow. You can really pack it away. How long has it been since you ate a full meal?" Rouge asked. Knuckles sighed and said, "Too long. I've been living off of basically nothing for the longest time now." He felt Julie-Su rest her head on his shoulder and felt comforted. How long has he desired this? Too long now. Far too long. And all he had to do to make it official was kill Chaose.

"In a few short hours, I will be free once again! I will take back what is rightfully mine! I will kill the echidna…just like the others before him," Chaose chuckled to himself, "When his blood is spilt, and he draws his final breath, I shall draw my first in my world! The Walkers will fall and I will assume my authority...just as I did millennia ago." Chaose began to laugh. An evil laugh that echoed throughout his chamber. Tonight was his last night in bondage. Tomorrow was his first day in freedom. All he had to do…was kill that echidna.

**Author's Note: **Didn't see this coming, huh? Well theres a perfectly reasonable explaination for all of this...and it's in a later chapter.


	6. The Legend of Chaose

THE LEGEND OF CHAOSE

"You ready, champ?" Mighty said as he playfully tapped Knuckles' shoulder with his fist. "Yeah," his friend replied. Mighty had never seen Knuckles more serious in his whole life. It was almost scary how focussed he was. Julie-Su kissed his cheek and placed his hat back on his head. "I kept this safe for you," she whispered. "I know," he replied with a smile. "Wear it for luck." "I won't need it," he said before he kissed her. He looked up at the end of the corridor and began to walk towards it. When he stepped into the stadium, the dark chao began to cheer. The Mobians in the stands cheered wildly for Knuckles, for he was their last hope. He slowly stepped into the ring and stood in the center. Lightning struck, and all went quiet. It was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. Suddenly, there was the sound of feet walking. Everyone turned to the corridor opposite the one Knuckles had entered from. Out of the shadows came Chaose. His chest plate had been removed, and his bare, dark blue chest was revealed. His black, jagged helmet remained. A fierce wind blew, which made all but Knuckles turn away, and when they looked again, Chaose and Knuckles were face to face.

"I have waited so long for this day," Chaose said. "So have I." "The final match has arrived! Enigma the Echidna versus…Lord Chaose!!!" The dark chaos cheered with his name. Everyone was on the edge of their seat. This was the fight that decided their fate. Julie-Su bit her lip as they awaited the match to begin. "Ready…FIGHT!!!" "Shall we warm up first, or shall we just go all out?" Chaose asked. "The sooner you're dead, the better. All out." "Fine," Chaose said as a blue energy surrounded him. He growled as he powered up his energy, the entire arena shaking. "Holy crap!" Vector shouted as he tried to stay steady. When he was finished, Chaose's body was glowing dark blue as he chuckled. "So what do you think?" Knuckles smirked and replied, "I must say, you've got more power than I thought you did, but is that really all you've got?" Chaose laughed and said, "HA! This is one hundred percent of my awesome power! There is no power greater than mine!" Shadow was sweating bullets along with F.C. and Vipes. His aura was huge. "I defeated your predecessors. What makes you different?" Knuckles' dreadlocks flared up as he said, "The Walkers figured out that to defeat an evil like you…you need to use a different kind of evil." Knuckles screamed as he became enveloped in a green energy. His body flashed pink, then white, them a bright green. The arena shook more violently than before, startling all. Chaose stared in awe as Knuckles finished powering up. Like before he died, he was a bright green, but his violet eyes remained.

"What…what is this???" Chaose asked. Knuckles chuckled and said, "This is the power of Eclipse. Here's a free trial!" In a flash, Chaose felt a powerful kick land in his stomach, which sent him into the air. Knuckles teleported in the way of his path and smacked him back to the ground, unleashing a barrage of energy blasts. When the smoke cleared, Chaose slowly got up as Knuckles levetated back to the ground. Chaose threw a quick jab, but Knuckles has teleported out of the way and elbowed Chaose in the back of the head, knocking off his helmet.

"Everyone stared in complete shock. "How…how is this possible???" Sally asked. "He has become so much more powerful in only six months time! Amazing!" Vipes replied. "This is won! We're set!" DJ, Morph, Freezie and Swiper shouted together.

Chaose rose up and turned to Knuckles. He had no mouth, his fiery red eyes stared violently, and his face was covered with strange markings. "I know all about you, Chaose. You were once one of the Ancient Walkers." Chaose growled and shouted, "How dare you compare me to them! They will die as soon as I am free!" "You're never getting free." Chaose growled and attacked Knuckles in a blind rage, only to find he wasn't connecting. Suddenly, Knuckles was behind him and blasted him in the back. As Chaose rose, he thought to himself, 'How?!?! It cannot be! Too much has happened for me to fail now!!!"

Thousands of years ago, Chaose was one of the four Ancient Walkers. They prophesized to the people of Mobius, telling them of future events. Chaose, however, became tired of wasting his awesome power and decided to strike out on his own. He took on a bodily form and began his reign of terror on Mobius. He slaughtered millions on innocents for the mere pleasure of exerting his power. He then created the dark chaos to do his bidding. He clouded the skies, made volcanoes erupt, cities sink beneath the waves, or be swallowed by the planet itself. He created a grand palace for himself, and made the people of Mobius his slaves. Those who refused, or did not meet his standards faced the horrible death of being eaten alive by the dark chao as Chaose watched laughing. It was the darkest time on the planet Mobius.

Finally, the other Walkers, whose power was inferior to Chaose, who was the Supreme Walker, gathered enough energy to send Chaose to another dimension with his dark chaos. Time passed on, and the planet was eventually repaired to it's former state. However, Chaose's power created a gate between the worlds, but could only be opened every five thousand years. The Walkers took this into consideration and took it upon themselves to hand pick one fighter to finally defeat Chaose. In this new dimension, his power was filtered. If ever released to Mobius, his power would become unstoppable. In order for Chaose to pass through the gate, he would have to defeat three fighters, representing the three Ancient Walkers of Mobius. The last two failed. Now, all hope rests on the shoulders of one echidna…

'No. There must be a way…Yes…That's perfect!' Chaose smiled as Knuckles said, "Face it. I outclass you in every way. You can't win." "Very true! Your power exceeds my own…so I'll have to improvise!" Chaose began to growl as he glowed again. Knuckles braced himself as he felt a strange energy emitting from Chaose. Suddenly, Chaose' body began to tear, and then there were two! All eyes widened as the splitting continued, until Knuckles was surrounded. They all chuckled and said together, "Do you like it? I call it Mitosis." "My who-wha?" Sonic asked. "Mitosis. It's a form of cell division. The parent cell splits, creating two identical daughter cells…OH CRAP!!! That means they're all as strong as the original Chaose!!!" DJ shouted. 'Oh crap,' Knuckles thought to himself as he was attacked.

"Chaose, kick him in the head! Beat him up until he's dead!!!" the dark chaos chanted. Grim growled in frustration. Enough was enough. "THAT'S IT!" he shouted as he stood up, his fists ignited in flame, "I've had it with the rhyming! You all die now!!!" F.C. stood up and held his glowing hand in front of Grim's face, "Calm yourself my friend." Grim mumbled, looked over at DJ and said, "I love you!" DJ slowly inched away as Freezie said, "Change him back, please!" "I see your point," F.C. said as he reversed the spell. The dark chaos continued to chant, and DJ finally stood up and shouted "Oh yeah? Knux! Knux! Get him, Knux! Hit him fast before he ducks!!!" He sat back down and looked over to see some of the Mobians staring at him. "You find a word that rhymes with 'Knux'!"

It was insane. He couldn't even attack. Every time he blocked one blow, another came. He was barely blocking/dodging! "Soon you will tire, and I will overcome you!!!" the Chaoses said as one upper-cut Knuckles into the air. Knuckles regained his balance and charged his fist with chaos energy. "Here we go!!!" he shouted as he rocketed down to the center of the arena. He smashed his glowing fist into the center of the arena and it shattered, sending fragments flying at the Chaoses. Knuckles used this to his advantage and began to attack the Chaoses one by one as they dodged the rocks. The fighters of Mobius found themselves protected by one of F.C.'S energy shields. Grim laughed as hard as he could as he saw dark chaos crushed by the rocks. "I love karma! HA HA HA!!!"

Once again, Knuckles was gaining the upper hand. Chaose was greatly angered. No one had ever disgraced him so much. Even when he landed a solid punch, Knuckles seemed uneffected, as if he had lost his sense of feeling. 'How? How can he be so strong?!?! It's like he has no weakness!!!' One of the Chaoses was distracted by the cheering of the Chaotix, Freedom Fighters, and Ravagers. It was then that it hit him. 'Now there's an idea!'

Knuckles quickly dodged and jabbed at one of the Chaoses, and then noticed they were flying upwards. "Running? It won't help you. It'll only make it more fun," Knuckles shouted. "Oh, on the contrary," one said as each of them powered up an energy ball, "The fun is about to start…FOR ME!!!" They all began to rain down their energy blasts all at once. 'He can't possibly hope to even hit me once with a slow attack like that…' Knuckles thought to himself. It was then that he saw that the blasts were directed at his friends.

"OHHHHH CRAP!!!" Mighty shouted as they realized what was happening. "My shield won't block that!!!" F.C. shouted. "Well, I'm not throwing in the towel yet!" Shadow growled as he powered up his chaos energy. "Right! Let's at least give it a try!" Cap shouted as they got ready for the oncoming doom. Suddenly, a red flash appeared in front of the blasts, and there was Knuckles, being pounded away by the raining energy blasts. He didn't scream, or even growl in pain. He really couldn't feel anything. However, it did deal the damage it was meant to, and he went crashing to the ground. They watched in horror as he struggled to get up, not getting very far. Then, Chaose began to laugh. All of him. "Fool! You let your emotions get in the way!" That is why I will win today!" Knuckles' friends watched as all of the Chaoses surrounded him and began to kick him through the air, using him as a soccer ball.

Knuckles finally landed with a large thud, struggling once again to get up. "This is getting boring," Chaose said as his copies reformed into one being, back at full strength. Chaose chuckled as he circled Knuckles. He stopped when the echidna tried to get up again and asked, "Why? Why even try. You've already LOST," Chaose said as he violently kicked Knuckles in the side. Knuckles' green light was beginning to fade away. Chaose laughed, until he saw Knuckles trying to get up again. "You can't win! What's the point? You're only making your pain last longer! Why do you do it? Why?!?!" Chaose shouted as he kicked Knuckles again. Knuckles, lying on his stomach, once again tried desperately to get up. Chaose stepped down roughly on his back, crushing him between the ground and his foot. Chaose then noticed Knuckles looking over at the stands at his friends. "What? You're doing it for them? Believe me, they don't care about you. They only want you to win so they can live," Chaose said as he kicked the ailing echidna again. Knuckles growled as he struggled to get up. Chaose watched and said, "Do you really think they care about you? After how you lied to them? Betrayed their trust? They want nothing to do with you!!!"

"That…won't work on me this time. I've let…my emotions be used against me before…but not now. I know I lied to them…but they forgive me. I need to fight for them. They're my…my family," Knuckles said as he got up. "Family? HA! They consist of a group of guerilla fighters, a band of misfits, and a bunch of wanna-be super heroes!" "HEY! We are NOT wanna-be's!" DJ shouted. He then turned to the others and asked, "And who here fights gorillas?" Grim groaned as he shook his head. Chaose merely swung his hand in the air before him, and a wave of energy knocked Knuckles down again. "I won't kill you yet. I'll let you watch me kill all of your friends first! And your little girl friend? I'll finish her nice and slow, so you can hear her pain before you die!" Knuckles growled as Chaose stepped over to him. "Now…the show can begin. Who to kill first…" Chaose said as he stepped towards the others. Shadow stepped forward and charged his chaos energy. "I'll hold him back while you get the girls to safety!" Cap and Grim jumped next to him and said, "We're not backing down! We need to stand together!" "Fine. You can all die together!!!" Chaose said as he drew his arm back. He paused when he felt something grasp his wrist, then turned to see Knuckles behind him. "You made the biggest mistake ever bringing them into this…bringing her into this…" Chaose pulled his wrist free and said, "How so? You have no power left." "Then do it. Finish me! Show me all of this awesome power you have! All I've seen is one fancy move!" Knuckles spat. Chaose became enraged and shouted "Fine! You have sealed your fate!!!"

Chaose uppercut Knuckles into the air and began to charge up his chaos energy to it's limits. Knuckles regained his balance and glared down at Chaose. 'Hope this works!' "NOW! FEEL THE MIGHT…OF MY CHAOSE CANNON!!!" Chaose shouted as he fired a huge energy beam up at Knuckles. Knuckles put his hands together and out-stretched his arms, creating an circular orange energy wall in front of him. The beam struck, and both growled as their bodies tensed up. Knuckles was sweating like crazy, but as soon as the sweat drops formed, they evaporated from the intense heat. Chaose laughed as he saw the echidna's end coming. "You can't win! That shield won't hold forever!" Chaose began to laugh again, but stopped when he heard a crackling sound. He looked at the ground under him, saw a small spark, and watched as a similar orange energy field began to grow. "That's no shield!!!" "It's a portal!" Knuckles shouted. Chaose looked down the portal and saw a bright light rushing towards him. "And that light isn't Heaven! It's Hell finally catching up with you!!!" "NOOOOO!!!" Chaose shouted before a powerful energy blast erupted from beneath him.

When the smoke finally cleared, there was nothing left. He was gone. They all stepped out of the stands and looked at the remains of the arena. "Wait a sec…Where's Knux?" Tails asked as they looked around for him. Then, from out of the smoke, a familiar echidna stumbled forward. "Hey! I'm…right here." They all ran over as the Mobian fighters began to cheer. Julie-Su threw her arm around him as she jumped towards him, causing him to stagger a bit as he caught her. "You did it!" Sonic remarked as he lightly patted him on the shoulder. "Dude! This is so awesome! We don't have to die, and Knux is back! Way cool, man!" Morph shouted. "I think it's time we took you back home…where you belong," Julie-Su said as she kissed his cheek. "Yeah. Home…" he whispered to himself with a smile. Wait a sec! How do we get back?" I mean, we got here by-" Mighty said, until they began to elongate again. "Remember to hold your breath this time!" Swiper shouted. "Yeah! Ray replied with a chuckle. Julie-Su wrapped her arms around Knuckles' neck as he whispered, "Hang on tight."

Just like before, the fighters from Mobius disappeared in a brilliant flash of light. Their mission was completed. It was time to go home.


	7. Welcome Home?

WELCOME HOME?

The people of Mobius feared for the worst. The skies had gotten conceivably darker in the last few hours. It had been a few days since their fighters were sent off and there was no telling if they were even still alive now. King Acorn looked up at the sky, standing where he had when he had sent the Freedom Fighters off with everyone else. 'Why did I let you go, Sally? Why?' "Max, come now," Queen Alicia said as she stepped onto the balcony, "They're fine. I just know it." "If only I had your faith. That is where Sally got hers. I, however, have been a wreck ever since they left. I just keep worrying." "You just need to relax a bit. Don't let the black clouds depress you. Just-" The queen was cut off by a loud rumbling as the clouds began to darken and become more condensed in one area. Thunder caused all to jump to attention and run outside to look up at the sky. "They failed! The end is here! Chaose is upon us!" One shouted. The crowds began to panic, until the King calmed them all and said, "We cannot be sure of that just yet. We-" A loud crash of thunder cut him off as the clouds rumbled even more than before.

Locke stepped forward and raised his fists, ready to fight if necessary. The rest of the Brotherhood followed suite and prepared for the worst. Suddenly, there was a flash, which blinded all. When everyone looked again, the fighters of Mobius were there. The crowds cheered loudly at the sight of them. King Acorn felt his heart lift when he saw his daughter among them.

"Fighters of Mobius! Welcome home! Tell us, who is our champion? Is it Sonic? Or Shadow? Perhaps one of the Ravagers rose to the occasion! Or someone else! Pray tell!" King Acorn said. "As much as I'd love to take the credit," Sonic said as he and the others stepped aside, "Here's your champ." The crowd went dead silent. He would have thought he could feel them staring if he hadn't already lost that sense. All eyes staring. He felt like an alien…a freak…a ghost. King Acorn stared in awe. He must have been hallucinating. Sure he was taller, and more muscular, but the face…the eyes…were unmistakable. "Is this…who I believe it to be? Surely not…for he is…This is the Walker's fighter, Enigma???"

Knuckles hated to admit to it, but the Walkers were right. He was dead. Not in a literal sense, but in the minds of the planet. For some, it was a painful loss, for others, it was the work of God. It was justice for crimes committed. Knuckles sighed and lowered his head. "I…don't belong here," he whispered to himself. He charged up some energy and began to fly away. Julie-Su called after him, but he just kept going. "This sucks," Freezie said. "Hey, isn't he flying a little…I dunno…awkwardly?" Cap asked. "Ya mean like crooked? Yeah, he is," Rotor replied. They watched as he wavered around a bit, and went into a rough descent into the forest. "Knux!!!" Sonic shouted as he dashed for the woods.

Knuckles groaned as he sat up and sat against a tree, unable to stand. He rubbed his head to notice that his hat had gotten stuck up in one of the trees, and was dangling above him. "Awww…crap. G-guess I used…more energy than I th-thought," he said to himself with a chuckle, until his light-headedness got the better of him and the darkness overcame him.

When Knuckles opened his eyes, he was expecting to be in the woods. To his great surprise, he was in a bed, and a familiar face was sitting next to him. "How are you feeling?" Julie-Su asked. "Better," he groaned as he sat up, "Got my strength back. Now I need to go get my-" "Your hat? Heh. Right here," she said as she pulled it out from behind her and placed it on his head. "Come on! There's some people outside waiting for you," she said as she pulled his arm. "What?" She pulled him out the door to a cheering crowd. He paused and blushed as he stood there in front of such a large mass. The King stepped forward and said, "It would seem you are full of surprises." "I…I…" he began, unable to speak. "However it happened, it happened. You are alive and with us. And as for the events several months ago, what you had thought of as a debt has been paid. You have saved us from a most horrid fate, and for that we can never repay you."

Suddenly, the clouds, which had not yet dispersed, began to rumble once again. "Oh no! Chaose!" someone shouted. "He's still alive!" "No way! Knux fried that guy! Well…he fried himself…uh…Yeah!!!" Vipes shouted. "No. Not Chaose. He didn't smell so bad," Knuckles growled. The clouds began to take shape, and the masks of the Ancient Walkers appeared. "It's the Walkers!"

"Well done, Enigma," they said. "My name isn't Enigma. It's Knuckles. That's the name my parents give me, and that's the name I'm using!" "But you have a hatred for both your parents." "I've moved on! That's behind me now! I'm not consumed by hate! And I'm not taking any more orders from you twisted monsters!" Knuckles shouted. "How dare you speak to us in such a manner! We gave you new life!" "After you took it away!" Everyone turned to him as Shadow asked, "Is this true?" "Yeah. Everything in my life involving them is a lie. They made my dad believe I had some great purpose in the future so he would train me harder than he would have, and to make me a mutant freak! They worked everything so I'd have that deep inner-hatred! They're the reason Eclipse was set free! They're the reason Mammoth Mogul was freed! He said it himself." "It was all necessary. Your predecessors were both naturally good, as are you. However, purity did not help them in the fight against Chaose, so we thought it best to fight evil with evil." "Yeah, and screw my life up in the process!!!" "It was all preparation for your training." "You mean the three years I spent in Hell?!?!" Knuckles spat back.

Mighty looked up at him and began "I though you said-" "I lied! When I first opened my eyes after dying, I was in another zone. Another dimension maybe. I'll never know, nor do I want to. Time there was faster than time here. One month here was six there." All stared in awe as he continued, "My training began with Master Osaki, an eighth generation master of martial arts. He was brutal. The only sleep I got was when I either passed out from exhaustion, or was beaten into unconsciousness. The tattoos on my shoulders, the ponytail, the outfit…all his uniform which I wear out of respect. The old man was brutal, but he taught me well, and I can never repay him. However, that was the easy part. When there were only six months left, my time with him was up. Suddenly, all became dark. I couldn't see. I heard the Walker's voices, telling me to continue training. I did, but I never knew how hard it would be. Wherever I was, the environment reacted with my emotions. Whenever I became angry, there was fire. Black fire that shed no light. It burned like nothing you can imagine. When I became depressed, it would rain. It would rain tears. The tears of my loved ones, crying over me. I could hear you, you know. Everything you said…every thought, I could hear it while I was in that place. I almost went insane. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore…I became so depressed, I began to become encased in cold, cold ice. I figured death would get me out of there. When I was encased, I thought of you…and I couldn't let it end. I unleashed the power of Eclipse and finally gained control. All that, just for one fight."

All stared in sympathy for the poor echidna that had suffered so much on their part. "It is because it is the will of the Walkers," they said. Now it is well known that Freezie starts talking smack to the wrong people. All of them happen to have the power to smack his ass into the ground and blast into a subatomic level. But alas, he does it anyway. "Question. If you're the 'Ancient Walkers', how come you don't got any legs?" he asked. Swiper, Morph, and DJ couldn't help but snicker. "I mean, 'Ancient Talkers' fit's so much better!" "Silence fool!" they beckoned. "Uhhh…okay."

"So…do you want to cleanse yourself of this evil forever?" they said to Knuckles. He looked up at them and said, "You don't mean…" "Yes. But perhaps the cost is too high for you." "You twisted…" "What shall it be? Will you do the right thing as you always have, or will you be selfish? The choice is yours to make." Knuckles' eyes widened as he stared at the ground. "Knuckles? What are they talking about?" Julie-Su asked. How could he do it? He had everything he wanted…He fell to his knees and shouted, "DAMN IT!!!" as loud as he could. He let out a long shuddering sigh as tears fell from his eyes. "It was too good to be true. Too good for me," he said as he got up. He turned to Julie-Su, who stared with great concern. "I'm sorry Julie…but," he began as he took his hat off and placed it on her head, "I need you to look after this again. Her eyes widened in realization. When she went to tell him to stop, he drew her close and kissed her before flying up into the air. "Knuckles! Don't!!!" She pleaded. No. His mind was set. "You realize this will be painful," the Walkers said. "SCREW IT!" he shouted before growling as he powered up his energy.

Like before, he flared a hot pink, then a bright green. "It's Eclipse! He'll kill us all!" "Shut up!!!" Rouge shouted at the crowd. "Sir Knuckles, your debt has been paid already! No one expects any more of you!" the King shouted. "It's not about repaying anyone! It's about doing the right thing!!!" he shouted before he let out a huge burst of energy that tore apart his black outfit. He began screaming as the energy made the ground rumble. They watched in horror as cuts and wounds began to open up all over his body and began to bleed. "NO! I…I won't…give…UP!!!" he shouted before he let out one last burst of energy, blinding everyone.

When they looked again, they noticed there were more in the crowd that there had previously been. "It…It can't be…We're alive!" one of them shouted. "My troops! And Remington's! And Stryker's!" St. John shouted in joy. This was not the only place of rejoicing. All over Mobius, those who had died appeared out of nowhere. Loved ones were re-connected as many cheered for joy. However, the cheering stopped to the sound of someone crying. All looked to see a pink female echidna crying over the smoking body of a red echidna, who wasn't moving…or breathing. She lifted his head and hugged him as she continued to sob. Mighty fell to his knees and stared with tearful eyes as he shook his head. All of the others shed their own tears. Rob hadn't been there for his first death, but he was here to feel the pain now. Cap growled, and in a blind rage screamed in anger and charged at the Walkers. "I am so God damn tired of beings like you pulling the strings!!! KENZO FIST!!!" His noble effort, however, was futile, and he only phased through them.

Julie-Su couldn't believe it. After all that had happened, he was gone again. "No…It can't happen…Can't end like this…" She suddenly felt something grasping her hand. "N-never…l-let…g-g-go…" a quiet moan said as she watched his eyes crack open. "Oh my God! He's alive!!!" The others rejoiced as Mighty and Julie-Su helped him stand. She looked at him with concern, because of the scars all over his body. "Your body…" "Will…heal in time…like my heart," he replied. "But how are you alive?" Shadow asked. "Your greatest power is your heart, Knuckles the Echidna. It has led you to overcome so many obstacles, so many opponents. Your strength in not in your chaos energy, but your heart, and the love you have for your friends. We leave you now." The Walkers began to fade away, until only clouds were in the sky.

"Knuckles!" two voices shouted. Knuckles looked up to see his parents running towards him. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. How long had it been? They threw their arms around him as he wept. "Son! I can't believe this!" Locke sobbed. "Oh honey! Your voice is so hoarse! Those scars…the tattoos…the ponytail!" his mother said as she lifted it with her hand. "You don't like it?" he asked with a smile. "I don't care! I just want you!" Suddenly, she stood and looked at Julie-Su. "Does he know?" she asked. "Oh man! We were so stunned at seeing him we forgot to mention it!" Julie-Su replied. "Tell me what?" Lara-Le smiled and turned to the crowd. "Wyn! Come here!" When Wyn came over, Knuckles' eyes widened and his jaws dropped when he saw a baby in his arms. "Knuckles, meet Kneecaps…your little brother." Knuckles couldn't believe it. He had…a little brother! "It's short for Knecapeon Mace. So…what do you think?" his mother asked him. "I…I don't know what to say…" "He was born a few hours after you…you…" "I'm here now, mom. The baby began to stir and reached its arms up. "I think he wants you to take him, Lara," Wyn said. "No…I think he wants to go to Knuckles!" Lara-Le said, "Are you able to hold him?" Lara-Le asked, looking at the scars on his arms. "I…I'm alright, I guess." Lara-Le took the baby and placed him in his arms.

He stared down at him for a minute, still trying to accept that he had a little brother. "Hey there, big guy. My name's Knuckles. I…I'm your big brother. That means I have to take care of you. Show you the ropes. Heh. You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?" The baby looked up at him and smiled. "Kn-Knu-les!" it muttered. Knuckles' eyes widened as Lara-Le smiled widely. "He said his first word! Sort of…" "But isn't he kinda young to be talking yet?" Espio asked. "Echidnas tend to talk sooner," Wyn answered. Kneecaps reached up and hugged Knuckles' neck. Knuckles' eyes became teary until he brought his sibling closer. "I love you too, kid," he said before kissing the baby's head, "I won't let anything ever hurt you. I promise!" Kneecaps yawned and drifted off to sleep, and Knuckles handed him carefully back to his mother.

"WHY?!?!" a sickly familiar voice yelled out. Everyone looked to see none other than Dimitri walking out of the woods. Why can't I beat you? You even overcome death itself!!! How do you always manage to pull through?!?!" Kommisar ran out and grabbed his arm, pulling him back, "Grandfather, no! You're delirious!" Dimitri pulled free and continued to walk towards Knuckles. King Acorn's guards seized him, until a voice shouted, "No!" They all looked to see Knuckles glaring at Dimitri. "Let him go. He's mine." The guards let the robotic echidna go, and Knuckles slowly walked over to him. "You've finally done it. You've taken the once proud and mighty Dimitri and laid him to waste. I have nothing now. You even took the pleasure of your death away. I know that you've wanted me dead for so long now. Just do it. Finish me," Dimitri said as he lowered his head. Kommisar stood between them and pleaded, "Please spare him Guardian! Have mercy!" "Mercy? He doesn't know the word," Knuckles growled as he pushed past her. "You've made me kill, taken my sanity, tortured me, drugged me, the damn list goes on and on!" Knuckles growled as he raised his clenched fist. "You have no idea how much I want this…but," he said as his voice softened and his fist lowered, "It's wrong. Master Osaki told me…that when given two choices…always pick the harder path. So…in spite of all you've done to me…I forgive you great-grandfather." Dimitri looked up at him, thinking he was insane. "You can't be-" "I am. Go. Live the rest of your life however you want to. Just know that I hold nothing against you." Dimitri stared and said, "If my eyes were organic, they would be crying right now. I turn myself in. I have done enough." Kommisar followed suite and turned herself in, and the two were taken away. "You've made me proud, son," Locke said as he put his hand on his son's shoulder.

Suddenly, the sunlight broke through as the clouds began to disperse. Many cheered at the first sight of the sky and sun in weeks. Knuckles looked with tearful eyes. He had never before appreciated the sun as much as he had now. It had been years since he had seen it's light. He tugged on Julie-Su's arm, took her up into his arms, and flew them to one of the towers of Castle Acorn. "Why up here?" she asked him. "Right now, I want to share this moment with you the most. And besides, we're alone up here, and no one can see us," he said with a smile. She smiled, and both turned to see the sun finally break through the clouds. "Kinda symbolic, actually. A time of darkness is over, and a new life begins. I want things to be different this time. I have so many things to tell you. My hopes, my dreams. There's so much to tell," he said as they took each other's hands. "Yeah. And we have all the time in the world to tell it," she said before kissing him. She put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest as they looked out at the sun, knowing that whatever happened would happen, as long as they had each other.

**Author's Note:** Well it looks like everything works out in the end. Hope you enjoyed it! In terms of my next story, I have an idea for a high school story. I know not too many people like that kinda thing, so I figured I'd ask for an honest opinion. I have a plot idea, so it isn't just a random high school-themed story. It would have a plot. With this in mind, please post an honest opinion with your review. Anyway, hope the tournament satisfied you! Later!


End file.
